Should we turn the water off when we are away from the condo/villa? (Bradenton: real estate, rent)

[Purrlas mom]

Hi we are first time property owners in Florida.
We are from Canada.
Our son & family live 30 minutes from our condo/villa in Bradenton.
We will not be going back until November...........should we get the water turned off....it costs 15.00 to turn it off or on again...with 3 days notice or should we leave the water on and pay 53.00 per month for a service we don't need.
I say turn the water off.........but I have read some of the comments that unless the toilets are flushed once a month the seals will dry out........Help what should we do?
Also we are going to leave the airconditioning running at 82-85 butwhat about leaving a dehumidifier running into the bathtub?

[coastal chic]

I think you'll still have to pay the $53 a month whether the water is turned on or off. The only benefit to turning it off is you won't have an "accidental flood" while you're away.

As for the A/C, set it to 85. Do you have a humidistat as well?

[Pruzhany]

Shut off the hot water heater.

what about leaving a dehumidifier running into the bathtub?

Since it is an closed area in the dark, you will come back to mold in certain corners.

[davery5872]

Originally Posted by Purrlas mom

Hi we are first time property owners in Florida.
We are from Canada.
Our son & family live 30 minutes from our condo/villa in Bradenton.
We will not be going back until November...........should we get the water turned off....it costs 15.00 to turn it off or on again...with 3 days notice or should we leave the water on and pay 53.00 per month for a service we don't need.
I say turn the water off.........but I have read some of the comments that unless the toilets are flushed once a month the seals will dry out........Help what should we do?
Also we are going to leave the airconditioning running at 82-85 butwhat about leaving a dehumidifier running into the bathtub?

Most condos should have shut off valve outside the unit. Check around where the main water line enters the unit or by the water meter. If it does not, you may want to have one installed. It should cost around $100. This will allow you to shut off the water outside the unit. You will still have to pay the minimum amount, mine is around $35 a month. As for the AC, we leave ours on around 80. We do get some humidity inside. We have some one come in about once a month and set the temp to 65 for about 24 hours and it seems to clear it up. We may end up buying a dehumdifier and connecting into the waste water system to drain automatically.

[loves2read]

your son lives close enough to check on your unit every couple of weeks--
I would think that shutting off the water--either by the water company or having the utility valve installed would be smart thing to do if you are going to be gone long term all the time

but you run risk from have something go wrong with your AC unit and cause water damage when you aren't there
make sure there is a shut off float valve on the overflow pan on the AC unit--where the water goes if the overflow line for condensate is clogged--happens with mold build up or other stuff getting into the small line
happened to us when we moved out of our home to move to another house--close--we did not sell because the market was so soft and the house needed certain level of remodeling--we just could not decide on how much to do
before we did--the AC clogged but was still running--
the condensate filled the drain pan and it broke--
water from it and other condensate ran into the floor of the attic--through the insulation--into the sheetrock ceiling of the first floor rooms
BIG MESS--we found it and water pooling in the floor of the house in several rooms--
on the July 4th weekend--
had to have water damage company come out--and emergency AC guy--
insurance paid for the water damage--we did not want to have mold problem starting up--
had to run big evaporative heaters to dry out the affected areas

when the AC people came to actually repair the unit they found problems from when that unit was installed improperly--and code required that the new pan have a shutoff float valve--
so that now if water runs into the pan and it does not drain--the float turns off the AC unit--no cooling until it is repaired...

[Purrlas mom]

Thank you all for your prompt responses.
They were very helpful.
We were down in Florida in March staying with our son so we really haven't been in the new condo/villa without either the inspector or real estate guy with us.
Closing isn't until the end of April so I really don't know what to expect.....we do have a cut off water switch and I will check with my contact at the water works but I am sure she said I wouldn't have to pay the 53.00 per month...I'll let you know.
Thanks again
I will definitely check into whether we have a shutoff float on the airconditioner.
In reponse to NeilVa, why would there be mold in the bathroom if the doors are open and I am using a dehumidifier to help the Air conditioner???

[joeyddog]

We are only down a few times a yr.We keep the thermostat set for 82 with a humistat. We have a house watcher who comes in weekly: flushes toilets, turns faucets on and off, makes sure AC is working ok, checks for critters and water damage. We keep the water heater turned off at the circuit breaker which I guess saves us $$$. So far, so good.Arriving soon for a couple of weeks and will check things out.

[loves2read]

my suggestions about the water heater would be that if you turn it off (either gas or electric) that you also drain it--
having it sit for long periods of time w/o having water moving through it seems likely to create problems--
then when you have a return date--ask someone to go in and reactivate it--doing that just a day ahead should give you hot water

[Wwanderer]

This thread is very helpful. Also from Canada. We closed on our new condo in Dunedin last week, and are driving down to get a feel for the place next week.

May I ask what it costs to have a house minder come in once in a while? I would think once a month is enough? I'm assuming we will get to know our neighbours who can do this in future, but for now we're strangers. I may ask a friend who lives nearby to come over once a month.

I've read that we should seal up the toilets with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

And to turn water off inside the unit.

But I've also heard that if someone comes in, they should run the dishwasher, to keep the seals from deteriorating.

I've also read that you should leave your fridge on low, but I intend to turn it off, and prop open the doors, which is what I do at our summer cottage.

My mom used to just turn everything off in her trailer for the summer. She scattered "bug pills" around, but that was it. She didn't even *have* A/C!

[cdnsungrl]

Another Canadian here! Purchased our condo last May at Bird Bay Village. After we leave for an extended period of time the owner of our condo instructed us to seal the toilet with saran wrap. We turn off the water valve from the outside keep our a/c at 80 and humistat at 60 degrees. Our neighbours have keys in case of an emergency and Bird Bay has a key also. We rent our unit our for 3 months Jan-Mar so we will be going down soon. We felt that a condo would suit our needs since the outside is taken care. Hope you enjoy yourselves...we sure love it there and hope to retire as snowbirds. All us Canadians should try to meet up somewhere!!